Transparency10 - Synthetic Jewelry

Exhibition: From October 18th to December 14th, 2003; Cologne

Svenja John at the Museum of Applied Art Cologne

Pimpollo, Capullo, Sanofie: the Museum of Applied Arts Cologne shows the exhibtion “Transparancy10” by the Berlin based jewelry artist Svenja John. John, 39, is probably the only, at least the first artist to make precious jewelry out of Macrolon®, a Polycarbonat from Bayer. Her pieces are named after freeway exits – or they carry names from cities and villages that she found browsing a route atlas.

Transparancy and delicacy as the artists maker’s mark.

Svenja John has been working with the light and transparent Polycarbonat foil for 10 years. It is a colourless foil, which allows the artist to use as a malleable canvas for coloration.The material is usually being used to produce CDs, DVDs, frames for glasses or car headlights.

Svenja John uses this synthetic material to build impressive and colourful earrings, bangles and brooches. About 45 pieces will be on display at the museum.

Svenja John is a perfectionist, rigorously exploring polycarbonate’s qualities with the scrutiny of a scientist. Her constructions are highly organized ino complex arrangements where nothing is left to change

Internationally acclaimed

Her body of work can only be seen in two galleries in Germany but in several museums worldwide: New Yorker American Craft Museum, Grassimuseum Leipzig, Museum for Applied Arts Hamburg, Material ConneXtion, jewelery college of Tokio.